Bellano has this sign on the street advertising lattes, mochas, peppermint and pumpkin spice drinks. But I went back to Bellano on Tuesday 1/23/07 to get these very good double naked Paladino ristrettos.

I had to have another one of those awesome Paladino shots and went back to Bellano on Wednesday 1/24/07. There was a different barista who pulled this Paladino shot using a PF with spouts. Should taste similar (or better?) than the naked pulls but this shot was only 1/3 the quality of the naked shots I got on Monday and Tuesday. Oh well.

eMocha: I found it yesterday. It's a small shop sandwiched between a jewelry store and a taqueria. Horace Mann elementry school is on the very next block.I had a very good machiatto pulled on the Linea. Picked up a smoothie for the kid who got a good throat freeze (meaning the kid liked it.)

They are working with a custom blend by Blue Bottle for their espresso shots. They are doing a damned good job with it. Like Gary said, Better than Barefoot doesn't matter at this point, doing their own thing well is what matters.

I went to Bellano on Monday 1/29/07 and requested both a naked Paladino shot and one pulled with spouts (lower right picture). This time both were very good with nice complexity and chocolate taste. I did like the naked shot a bit better than the spout shot.

Made it to Bellano last mid-afternoon. Ordered a double shot, cappuccino, and an americano.A very nice young lady was on barista duty. Heard the grinder roar - good sign. Saw a naked portafilter wiped dry before being loaded - very good sign. I did not witness the dosing or shots being pulled. Didn't hear much noise when milk was steaming - a good sign. I saw her pick up the cup and free-pour the capp - very good sign. The americano followed and the shot was prepared last, the right order. Nice crema in the shot, good crema floating on the americano and a beautiful rosetta poured in the capp. As you've read earlier, Bellano is using Paladino from Zoka. It's a bold and dark blend. It takes a few sips to get your palate around it. All three drinks were very tasty and satisfying. So our young barista has the skilz to rock the Synesso. She etched a drink for another customer that elicited gushing praise and reluctance to a lid on it. I'd like see them bring in an additional blend or two.

Bellano was the place that converted me from what I used to think was decent coffee to starting to learn what good coffee really is. I haven't been in much though since Avid opened due to Avid being much closer to me.

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